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Healthy Eating for Juvenile Arthritis
There’s no special JA diet, but certain foods can promote healthy growth and development and help dial down inflammation.
By Amy Paturel
Eating a healthy diet is important for any growing child, but children with juvenile arthritis (JA) face an additional challenge: Eating foods that promote growth and development and help quiet inflammation. In the face of the coroavirus pandemic, it's even more important to support your child's health and immune system with a healthy, balanced diet.
Since diet plays a role in inflammatory processes, parents are increasingly turning to popular diets to tame painful arthritis symptoms in their kids. Unfortunately, no special diet can cure arthritis and there’s no evidence that certain foods or nutrients will stave off JA complications or comorbidities. Some of the trendier regimens may even put kids with JA at risk for dietary deficiencies, explains Denise Costanzo, a nurse practitioner in the Pediatric Rheumatology Department at Cleveland Clinic.
The good news? A diet made up largely of whole, unprocessed foods and that limits inflammatory foods can reduce inflammation, while also supporting your child’s bone, joint and tissue health.
What to Eat
These foods promote healthy growth and development and can help dial down inflammation.
What to Avoid
Studies consistently show that the typical American diet, which prioritizes processed meats, sugar and chips over blackberries and kale, increases inflammatory processes in the body. Here are some major culprits:
Bottom Line
“Healthy eating should really be a family affair,” emphasizes Bhatt. “Parents should never single out a child with JA by putting them on a special diet or treating them differently.”
Hyland suggests that the family follows a Mediterranean-style diet, which including olive oil, fish and lean protein, fruits, vegetables and nuts and seeds. “Such diets are naturally rich in important nutrients including vitamin A, B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids,” she says.
Still, it’s important to recognize that some kids with arthritis may have different dietary needs, depending on which medications they take and if they have any food intolerances or allergies. During flares, some kids may even lose their appetite.
Your best bet? “Work with a dietitian to help ensure your child is meeting requirements for growth and development,” says Costanzo. “And always check with your doctor before embarking on a special dietary plan that cuts out entire food groups.”
Nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition
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